Escorial & Valley And Segovia From Madrid

This was in effect two separate tours, one in the morning to San Lorenzo El Escorial monastery and palace, then after a return to Madrid a tour to the Valley of the Fallen. Apparently no one really goes there anymore since Franco’s body was relocated. Which explains why all the facilities such as the cog railway are now derelict and defunct. But we went and if you want a tourist destination with very few tourists and an interesting background then this is it for you.

Michelle our guide was excellent and there was plenty of time to see the monuments. The El Escorial trip has a lot of walking and staircases up and down

The Escorial and the tomb which I did not really think I wanted to see were fascinating. The tour then takes you all the way back to Madrid and the back to where you just came from to experience Segovia which was not only a big waste of time but only allowed you time to literally run through Segovia not even having time to see the outside of the castle let alone the outside.

We only choose to go to El Escorial and El Valle de los Caídos. It was excellent! Great trip, calm and the tour guide, I believe it was Toby, did a great job! Just the right talking and information.

The tour lasts all day, but you cover a great deal. My only issue was the guide gave the tour in both English and Spanish. He ran both languages together so following along with what he was saying was difficult. Also be aware that this tour involves a great deal of walking and climbing stairs, especially in Toledo.

The tour takes you to two important places in Spanish history and culture. El Escorial is much bigger than you think and it really takes a tour guide to give you all the important details of the place. It is beautiful and interesting. The Valley of the Fallen features a scenic view over the entire valley. The Basilica is dug into the mountain and is the longest Basilica outside of the Vatican. Be sure to wear comfortable shoes since most of the day is spent walking. Take water and a hat if touring in the summer. The tour lasts about six hours and is really not suitable for younger children. There is no break for lunch.

Mediocre tour at best. It was rushed, and the guide did not allow sufficient time at each site. I would recommend taking the train to El Escorial and then taking an Uber or Taxi to Valley of the Fallen from El Escorial so that you can have enough time at each site. The bus is comfortable and convenient, however.

We didn't know much about El Escorial and nothing about the Valley of the Fallen before we went on our yellow bus tour but thanks to our guide Campo we knew a lot at the end of the day. We would highly recommend doing this trip. The only thing that we didn't know was just how many stairs we would be going up and down and it would not be possible if you were in a wheelchair. But if you are interested in Spanish history and past kings and queens then this is the tour for you. The Valley of the Fallen was an amazing building and the only thing with doing this after Escorial was that it was a bit too rushed to see all its splender.

If you are only in Madrid for a short time and you do not already know Spanish history, do not take this trip.El Escorial is where Spanish kings are buried. The complex is huge, imposing, somber. The interior is lavish, convoluted and torturous to walk in.Valley of the Fallen is monolithic and has spectacular views of the surrounding countryside, but is otherwise mundane.Each of these places has its own fantastic history worthy of study and review, but taking a half day trip from Madrid to see them both on the same day is a waste of time and money.We missed our scheduled tour day and the company generously allowed us to take the tour on the following day with no charges. There were only 6 people on the tour, 3 Spanish speakers and 3 English speakers. Our guide's English was good but not perfect, "kins an der cowr" = "kings and their court". And understandably she appeared to spend more time during the tour talking to the Spanish group than the English group. The 45 minute drive to El Escorial was a "waste of time" because the guide only introduced herself, asked for names and talked generally for about 10 minutes then sat back and enjoyed the ride. She could have used the time to talk about the history of the sites or at least spend time talking to all the tourists.

Liked both sites. Driver and tour guide were good and efficient. Would book again with this outfit. Thanks...Viva Franco!

Escorial was, for me, extremely dull and boring . It’s not for everyone and best left to people with an interest in Spanish history.The visit to the Valley of the Fallen was more Interesting - an impressive structure. Sadly there was next to no information given by the guide on the Civil War or its aftermath which would have added a great deal of value to the tour.

<p>It was ok with this tour. It's not so far from Madrid. But it could be a little longer to have more time visiting El Escorial and Valley of the Fallen.</p>

<p>Kind of a solemn tour for a change. Well-paced. No photography allowed on the inside of both structures but oh well some still sneak a snap or two, maybe they do not understand the verbal instructions of the guide and the instructions which are boldly written in different languages including the English language accompanying the visual signs posted at the entrance and everywhere else along the tour sites. There is 1 area in El Escorial of which you can take a photo of, the inside courtyard or garden of the palace facing the restricted stairwell. Visiting The Valley of the Fallen gives one a really nice break from the busy city of Madrid.Beautiful structures inside and out!</p>

<p>It was great-and when we realized we had to be back before the Toledo tour would return, they let us reschedule that part with no problem. Well run and we saw a lot! Very pleased with both parts of the tour and would recommend.</p>

<p>The places visited are well worth it, but we had the misfortune of being assigned a guide that either was having a bad day or is lacking in the essential people skills to be a tour guide. The guide, Andres, was apparently very knowledgeable in an academic sense spouting dates names etc. but did not seem to care about the well being of the members of his group, many times he would speed up ahead of the group not caring if everyone was there to go to the next area in the castle or whether they could even hear the information he was giving. He seemed to be in a rush and upset if anyone decided to look at something of interest for more than two seconds. His instructions on the rest stop were confusing and and resulted in members of the group not understanding them and having to be re-grouped, which infuriated Andres as he lashed out on the ignorant tourists who did not understand his instructions but who also happen to be paying his salary. Two stars because the places are truly amazing, but the experience almost ruined because we got the wrong guide. Andres needs to be more sensitive to the people in his group if he wants to be a tour guide.</p>

<p>Enjoyable trip. A good way to see things if you are shot of time.</p>

<p>Beautiful places, but no pictures allowed in either one. Just enjoy the view and remember de interiors that are great.</p>

<p>Beautiful you cant miss it. No photos allowed in the inside.</p>

<p>I really enjoyed this visit. El Escorial has a lot of interesting history and the tour guide was very informative. The valley of the fallen is really amazing to see and very important to the history and culture of present day Spain. Wear comfortable walking shoes!</p>

<p>This is a trip worth doing if you have some extra time in Madrid but would not say this is a must see. The tour guide Fernando was knowledgeable and had to do his tour in Spanish, English and Italian which alone was very impressive. El Escorial is unremarkable in its architecture and decor until you get to the church, which was beautiful. Hearing the history was interesting. The massive size of the Valley of the Fallen is worth the short drive from El Escorial.</p>

<p>A very nice day trip both to Toledo and El Escorial and Valley of the Fallen.</p>

I think they should optimize the logistics of their packages, they are not recommended, they are very poor

Het was totaal misleidend bij boeking was de ingang in de prijs inbegrepen en een gids bij werkelijkheid hadden we geen gids ter plaatsen en moesten we de ingang nog betalen als je iets boekt dan verwacht men toch dat je dat dan krijgt dus laat u niet beetnemen en boek deze formule niet

Little time par. Visit to Toledo. It is better to go one day to Escoeial and Vale and another day to Toledo.

Normal Enterprise, Fantastic Places. You cannot leave Madrid without having known these two places.

Excellent excursion, and a guide who attended us wonderful Cecilia, always very well disposed. It is an excursion to recommend

Very good the tour, the guide Campo (Campoon) gives very curious data about the places, gives you time to take pictures quietly.

The tour to the Escorial, the Valley of the Fallen and Toledo was a very pleasant experience, the people who guided us knew very well the history and the places we were visiting. These types of experiences allow us to appreciate and enjoy places that are wonderful. John Jairo Jimenez

I returned to the village after many years. Check out the very favorable evolution and there remains the lordship that characterizes El Escorial. I couldn't visit the monastery, inside, but the walk through its gardens was a halo of nostalgia, but, well, this is a personal feeling.

<p>No me gusto pesima agencia pesimos guias y todo en corredera por terminar nos saltamos muchas salas del escorial</p>

<p>Fantastico , mucha historia y la guía tenia mucho conocimiento !!!</p>

<p>Un tour ágil y ameno. Las vistas desde Valle de los caídos, muy impresionantes.</p>

<p>Muy lindo recorrido y organización. Sería recomendable dar un poco más de tiempo para la recorrida de los alrededores, ya que por las distancias a recorrer se perdió esta oportunidad. La atención excelente.</p>

<p>Muy buena excursion.Conocimos muchos aspectos interesantes de las historia de los reyes espanoles.Lo que se refiere al Valle de los caidos nos sorprendio este gigantezco proyecto que fue realizado en los anos 40 y 50 del siglo pasado. Me parece que la realizacion de este proyecto hubiera podido ser motivo para una pelicula espanola, 19 anos de vida y de trabajo de los que construyeron este Museo, este Panteon y se quedaron en sus murallas.</p>